I found myself on guard after Lilia-san left the ballroom.
Though I had no such intentions myself, I apparently had quite a reputation among the nobility. Knowing that, I could easily foresee the headaches that awaited me. I wondered if I would be able to gracefully decline invitations to dance, but things took a turn I hadn't expected.
Every time a noble tried to approach me as I stood near the entrance, someone else would conveniently call out to them or ask them to dance at the perfect moment. As a result, not a single person actually reached me.
Just as I was tilting my head in confusion at this suspiciously convenient situation, a familiar voice whispered in my ear.
"...Kaito-san, look at the table to your right."
"Alice? Where did you come from? What's with the table?"
I looked toward the right as the invisible Alice instructed. The table was laden with various dishes. Since it was a buffet-style party, the food was self-service, and I could see several nobles gathered there with small plates.
"Yes, see that delicious-looking roast beef on top?"
"...I see it."
"I think a hard worker like me deserves a little reward, don't you?"
"...How many slices do you want?"
I finally understood. The reason the nobles were being diverted elsewhere at the perfect time was that Alice was using her subordinates to steer them away. She was actually being incredibly helpful.
I moved to the buffet table. I watched as the nobles already there were suddenly pulled into conversations by others, clearing a path for me. I put some roast beef on a small plate and slid it subtly to the right. The meat vanished instantly.
"Nn, as expected of the royal palace! This is wonderful! Nothing beats the taste of free food!"
"There's more if you want it. I'll plate whatever looks good."
"Eh? Oh my, how rare for Kaito-san to be so kind to me! This is it! A flag has been raised! You're finally falling for Alice-chan's charms, aren't you!?"
"...Does that mean you've had enough?"
"Ah! I'm sorry! I was kidding! I’ll eat!"
Even in a setting like this, Alice's usual antics were oddly comforting. I spent the time until Lilia-san’s return picking out various dishes and feeding them to the invisible girl. I suggested she could just eat them herself, but she insisted on some nonsense about it "tasting better this way."
After a while, I heard footsteps and Lilia-san’s voice behind me.
"...K-Kai, Kaito-san!? S-Sorry to keep you waiting!?"
"L-Lilia-san!? Ah, no, it's fine..."
The moment I heard her voice, the memory of what had just happened rushed back. Feeling a sudden surge of nervous tension, I turned around.
"...Um..."
"C-C-Come! Let's head over to see Amalie!"
"...Lilia-san?"
"Yeth!?"
The Lilia-san who stood there was the one I knew well, and yet she was entirely different. Her face was beet-red all the way to her ears, and she was staring stubbornly in the opposite direction. To be honest, she looked a little ridiculous.
"...Why are you looking over there?"
"T-T-That’s... um... because I want to keep looking this way!!"
"...I-Is that so..."
That was the worst lie I'd ever heard. There was no doubt about it—Lilia-san was flustered because of what she had done to me. Then again, I had a feeling my own face was probably just as red.
"Well, shall we go see Amalie-san, then?"
"Y-Y-Yes! Let's go! Let's do that!!"
"Lilia-san, please, calm down a bit..."
"Yes... My apologies."
I urged the clearly panicked Lilia-san to steady herself, and we walked together toward the seat of honor where Amalie-san sat. We didn't speak a word during the walk. It was incredibly awkward, but I couldn't find the right thing to say.
No matter how much of a fool I was, I knew that Lilia-san’s kiss hadn't just been a casual gesture. In other words, she saw me as a romantic interest. She had feelings for me... and that made me... well, happy.
Lilia-san was the first person I met in this world, and she had taken care of me ever since. She was a warm, gentle person, and I knew that my ability to truly enjoy life in this world was largely thanks to her. She wasn't the stereotypical noble I had imagined; she was a magnificent, strong woman. Even though we were only a year apart in age, she was someone I deeply respected.
But it wasn't just that. She laughed, she got surprised, she got angry, and she cried. She had the rich, vibrant emotions of any other woman her age. She was someone I felt close to. Most of all, she was profoundly kind. She always, always cared about me from the bottom of her heart.
She had guided me when I was a stranger who knew nothing of this world. She provided me with food, clothing, and shelter—the very foundations of survival. She had been considerate enough to worry about the social impact of me living in a mansion full of women and had gone out of her way to buy me everything I needed. Even though I constantly troubled her by getting swept up in incidents and befriending powerful figures, she told me it was never a nuisance.
She had a habit of taking on too many burdens and hiding her struggles, but she was a truly, undeniably attractive woman. If I were asked how I felt about her... of course I loved her.
When I took the time to reflect on it, the feeling settled into the depths of my heart as if it had always belonged there. I think I had always felt this way, but my gratitude and the guilt of being a burden had kept me from noticing it.
Wait, what do I do now? Now that I’ve actually realized it, I’m starting to feel incredibly embarrassed!
"...K-Kaito-san!?"
"Eh? Ah, yes!?"
Lilia-san spoke to me at the exact moment I had that thought. I nearly jumped out of my skin as I answered. She still wasn't looking at me, her face cast down and red as a ripe apple.
"P-Please forget... everything that happened today!"
"Eh?"
"I-I mean, what happened earlier! Um, um... anyway, just forget it!"
"I'm sorry, I can't."
"Eeeeeeh!?"
Lilia-san was practically begging me to forget the kiss, but I gave her an immediate refusal. I mean, regardless of what she wanted... some things are just impossible to forget.
As she hovered around me in a panic—completely oblivious to the fact that the entire room was now staring at us—I continued through the venue, repeating that I wouldn't forget.
Dear Mother, Father—when I truly thought about Lilia-san, I realized my own feelings instantly. That’s how much her presence had grown within me. While I felt a strange, new bashfulness, I had a premonition that my relationship with Lilia-san was about to change greatly.
Serious-senpai: "...This isn't... the end, is it?"
Rather, the Real Thing Starts Here
Serious-senpai: "I thought so... This is depressing..."